


Death, and Her Champions

by CharcoalAndGraphite



Category: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Death's Champions, Diplomatics, Established Relationship, M/M, Merchant of Death Tony Stark, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Royalty, Secret Relationship, The Nine Realms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-04-06 14:37:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14059098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharcoalAndGraphite/pseuds/CharcoalAndGraphite
Summary: "No. Hell no. I don't do diplomatic anything. It's not my thing. But hey, bring me back some alien tech from your working vacation guys. don't get killed.""Stark! this is a fucking Avengers mission, you are an Avenger. Gear up, you're going." Nick Fury was sporting a previously undiscovered color all across his face, courtesy of one Anthony Stark."Actually, I am a consultant. It's right there in my contract, and this mission will go outside my consulting hours. Sorry." Tony was having fun, he was positively gleeful."I am making Banner go, you are going. Look we even packed your bags." At Fury's words, Coulson walked in, carrying a duffel and the MarkV, Thor followed him in. "Oh look, your ride too! Now get out of my fucking office, you have an appointment on Asgard.""Come friend Tony! Asgard is a marvelous place! You will enjoy it very much I am sure." With a firm hand on his shoulder, Thor steered Tony from the room.The Avengers are called to Asgard as a Midgardian diplomatic envoy. But when they arrive secrets are revealed, and new enemies unveiled.





	1. Diplomats and Merchants are not the same thing

**Author's Note:**

> This story does have an outline I am working off of, though there may be some changes. It has been marked Teen for cussing and future battle scenes, rating, and warnings may change at any time.

Tony Stark was laying in bed with his lover. Sure, the sex was amazing, but the closeness was better. It was getting dangerous, honestly. He did have a heart condition after all. Who knew what sentiment would do, could do?

-~-

"No. Hell no. I don't do diplomatic anything. It's not my thing. But hey, bring me back some alien tech from your working vacation guys. Don't get killed."

"Stark! this is a fucking Avengers mission, you are an Avenger. Gear up, you're going." Nick Fury was sporting a previously undiscovered color all across his face, courtesy of one Anthony Stark.

"Actually, I am a consultant. It's right there in my contract, and this mission will go outside my consulting hours. Sorry." Tony was having fun, he was positively gleeful.

"I am making Banner go, you are going. Look we even packed your bags." At Fury's words, Coulson walked in, carrying a duffel and the MarkV, Thor followed him in. "Oh look, your ride too! Now get out of my fucking office, you have an appointment on Asgard."

"Come friend Tony! Asgard is a marvelous place! You will enjoy it very much I am sure." With a firm hand on his shoulder, Thor steered Tony from the room.

-~-

The Avengers and Agent Coulson were assembled in an open space by S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. They were all dressed for the diplomatic mission this was, except for Tony, he had forgotten his sunglasses.

"HEIMDALL! These are my shield brothers and sister! They are the envoy from Midgard! Open the Bifrost!" The sky opened, and a prismatic aurora swept them all to Asgard.

-~-

When they all arrive in the golden dome used to operate the Bifrost, everyone but Thor and Tony stumbled. Clint fell, quick reflexes the only thing that saved his bow from getting crushed. While Natasha helped Clint up, the rest were greeted by Heimdall.

"Greetings envoy of Midgard. Welcome home, my princes, the Allfather awaits at the place."

Tony was the first to walk to the exit of the dome, Thor following behind. A few yards away, Loki had not yet seen who was at the edge of the dome, already opening his mouth to greet the diplomats.

"Greetings, and welcome to Asgard! I am Loki- Anthony?" Shock flickered across his face when he saw Tony.

"Hello, darling. Sorry, I am unfortunately here on business. The Avengers were chosen as Earth's envoy." Tony stepped up and pecked a still frozen Loki on the cheek. "I hear the Allfather is waiting for us though, I promise we can catch up later."

The other Avengers had stepped up behind Thor just in time to see Tony kiss Loki, they were reasonably in shock.

"Brother, what is going on? Friend Tony addressed you most informally." Thor had his most confused expression painted on his face.

Thor's addressing him broke Loki of his shock. "Anthony, you seem to have forgotten about your team. I was under the impression you didn't want to tell them."

"Well, yeah. But now we are here, and they were going to find out sometime. Better to get it out of the way early."

"So you two are together?" Bruce spoke up. Green seemed to be on the way out of his eyes. Clint, on the other hand, seemed to be gaining a worrying purple tint.

"Yeah, it's been, oh about, two years? Yeah, two years. Clint, don't look at me like that, I didn't tell you guys because of how you would react."

Steve spoke up, "Tony, you know we will support you no matter what. Who you date doesn't matter."

"Look man, it's going to take me some time to get my head around this, but I don't care who you sleep with." Clint looked at Tony while he spoke, reading the silent gratitude in his eyes.

"Well!" Tony clapped, breaking the short silence following Clint's words. "Now that we got the mushy stuff out of the way, I do believe we have an Allfather to meet. Loki, be a dear and lead on?" Loki huffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes, but turn and walked towards Asgard.

Walking through the streets to the palace was interesting. The princes garnered a lot of attention, when the group walked by people stood to the side and stared. After they passed, the people broke out into whispers.

When they reached the palace the guards opened the doors. They stood straighter as Loki and Tony passed through first. The group made their way silently through the halls to the main throne room.

The doors opened on their own, revealing Odin sitting on his throne. They all walked in and took a knee before him. Tony rose first, before he was addressed. Loki hissed at him to get back down.

"Merchant of Death, welcome to Asgard. I trust your walk in was enjoyable? You have not graced our halls since before my sons were born, what brings you?" Odin inclined his head in respect.

"Thank you for your invitation, Odin Allfather. The walk was indeed enjoyable, but it was made all the better by the company. What fine men your sons have grown into. Fear not, I come with no messages of deals, I accompanied the envoy of Midgard. On that note, I formally rescind my claim as a diplomatic envoy of Midgard. I intend to stay, if you are amendable, to oversee the talks, and to spend time with my lover, your son, Prince Loki of Asgard and Jotunnheim." Everyone's head snapped up when they heard Odin speak, and when Tony had responded Loki's mouth fell open in shock.

"You are of course always welcome in the palace. Your rooms are just as they were when you left last. I was going to send you a request for aid in the next few days,  we are having trouble with the Jotunns. We have not been able to initiate any peace talks, but scouts keep getting closer to our borders. I was hoping you, as a third party could mediate? Your advice would be greatly appreciated." Odin shifted restlessly on his throne.

"I have actually been recently speaking with Mistress Death on this matter. The continued war in the nine realms has been upsetting the balance. It is our opinion that the nine realms should start peace talks. Send for diplomats from the other realms, I will oversee the alliance of the nine."

-~-

Upon leaving the throne room, Tony and Loki left the rest of the group. Loki pulled Tony into an out of the way alcove.

"Why didn't you tell me? How could I not know you are a servant of Death? I look like a fool now. How did I not notice? I thought that that title was just something Midgardian reporters had come up with. I mean, I had heard our stories, but I just thought it was a coincidence. I never thought- And how much a fool I must have looked, flaunting my power, thinking you impressed. Showing off like a child seeking approval. Why did you let me continue with the delusion, Anthony?" Loki wasn't done, not even close, but he needed to give Tony a chance to explain if he wanted answers.

"I'm sorry Darling. I would have told you eventually, but I figured I had time. I'm not exactly advertising my identity right now, I'm on vacation, that's why I was on Midgard. I'm not a servant of Lady Death, I hold a similar position to your daughter. I am her Merchant, I make deals to uphold the balance. I carry messages for her when she cannot speak in person, but I am no one's servant." Loki seemed to calm at that, his shoulders relaxing when Tony grabbed his hands.

"Tony! Dear friend, it has been very long since I have seen you! Shame on you for not keeping our tea dates. Odin told me you arrived, I see we have much to talk about. Hello Loki, my son, why did you not tell me you were seeing someone?" Frigga rounded the corner, taking in the scene in front of her. "Have I interrupted something?"

"No, Mother. Anthony was just explaining to me why after two years of a relationship, he still felt the need to pretend he was human." Loki turned to face his mother, not letting go of Tony's hands.

"Ah, so it seems we all have much to speak about. Come, both of you, we will have tea in my rooms. Neither of you have been visiting enough." Frigga turned and led both Tony and Loki into her private sitting room, not far from the alcove.


	2. A gift indeed, from Death to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, guys! I just got a new laptop and kinda forgot where I was going with this story, so I'm posting what i have right now and will get back to this as soon as possible. Until then, enjoy this filler with Frigga.

Frigga, Tony, and Loki were sitting in Figga's private sitting room, sipping tea that had been brought in by a servant. Frigga was wearing a private little smile, on that promised mischief. Tony thought it was obvious that Loki had inherited that smile from her. Funny, considering the whole adoption thing. It does lend something to the nature vs. nurture debate. Frigga and Loki were very alike in many ways. Tony had known Frigga almost her whole life, and Loki had always reminded him of her.

"So, Frigga, I see you and Odin are getting along better now. It has been a thousand years since I've been to Asgard and seen you in person. Dare I hope you were the one to take his eye? Is he still worried that you will run or I will steal you away? It's been so long, you have not given me details in centuries. Shall we three share story for story?" Tony spoke rapid-fire, hardly pausing for breath. Frigga laughed delightedly. Loki smiled fondly, emotion shining through in his eyes. 

"Well, Odin and I are getting along better. When we had Thor we had to put everything else aside. Plus, as mother to the next king, I am less war-prize and more Queen. You know how it is. I didn't get to take his eye, but he does have quite a few scars from me, Loki inherited his inclination for stabbing people from me. Remember you did steal me away once, followed by my escape attempts, he has reason to be paranoid. But no, he knows I stay for now. What kind of story would you like to hear first? Personally, I want to hear about how you came to Midgard. And from Loki, I want to hear how the two of you ended up together. Knowing the two of you it is guaranteed to be a marvelous story. But do not think either of you is pardoned for being gone so long."

"I never knew you tried to escape from Odin, Mother. We could have bonded over mutual hatred of the man. I actually met Anthony six months before my time with the Mad Titan. I was bored and attended a party he was hosting. We started a romance for those months. But everything happened here in Asgard, and I ended up with the Mad Titan. He helped the heroes of Midgard defeat me. Thanos' mind compulsion was broken when I threw him through a window in his tower. It didn't save me the beating from the Hulk to make sure, and I got the cold shoulder for weeks for letting go of the Bifrost, but everything was worth it, to come back to him. I am deeply sorry for not visiting earlier, but as you can see I was busy making amends." Loki looked over at Tony quickly, and his face lost some of the coolness of the mask, his eyes softening and letting his love show through.

Tony's eyes lingered, unknowingly mirroring the expression on his lover's face. "I came to Midgard at the request of Lady Death in the Midgardian sixth century, to help maintain the balance during the Justinian plague. I was based in a city called Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. While I was there I saw vast amounts of death, the city alone was losing five-thousand people a day. This was not surprising to me, where I go, death often follows. But I also saw something else, these people, even in the face of such loss, were still vibrant and alive, they never stopped fighting. I fell in love with their fast-paced, ever-changing world. After my duties were done I spoke with Lady Death and asked to stay on Midgard for a time. She agreed, on the conditions that I return when she has need of me, I maintain the guise of humanity for as long as possible, and that I do not visit any other realms unless absolutely necessary. I agreed and have spent the last thousand years marveling at the ever-changing presence of Midgardians." Loki made a soft noise of understanding, realizing that this was why Tony hadn't told him who he was. "Now, darling dearest Frigga, I think you should tell Loki about the time I helped you try to escape, I think he would love the story."

"Which one, dear-heart? You helped me a great many times."

Loki let out a laugh, "I see now why Odin hates you so much, Anthony. Are you this affectionate in front of him? You sound like a lover, I'm almost jealous."

"Of course we were this affectionate, I've known your mother since she was knee-high to a brownie. But we were never lovers, more like siblings." 

Loki was shocked. "How old are you Anthony?"

"Well I bonded myself to Death about ten thousand years ago. I am the the oldest of her companions."


	3. Untranslatable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Chapter Chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I am so sorry for the long absence. I won't make excuses, but I hope to update more in the future.  
> Second, this update comes in light of the log off protest on tumblr. I am participating in the protest. Assuming tumblr doesn't fall into the graveyard of antiquity inhabited my myspace, feel free to come yell at me about updates, run on sentences, or anything else. My username is @rebelscars. I also have a brand new twitter (late to the party I know), @AlexM, come help me break it in, I'm so terribly bored.  
> Third, Happy Yuletide! Blessed Yule, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, seasons greetings, happy holidays, and every other seasonal 'how do you do' I am currently forgetting. Did you know there are 29 holidays celebrated by the world's 7 major religions from Nov 1 to Jan 15. Go eat a cookie, celebrate or don't, but for the love of Cookie Dough, smile, love and be happy, please.  
> One more fun fact, suicide rates are at their lowest in december, don't take this as a challenge, stay safe everyone.  
> Alex

"Ten  _Thousand_ years?!Now I feel even more the fool. You're older than my grandfather, but you seem young yet, under that mortal facade." Loki seemed shocked, though not quite speechless, he was  _never_ speechless. Though Tony now believed you could startle the silvertongue out of him. 

Frigga had a mite more tact. "Mine-heart, you are ageless. Was your beauty part of Death's bond-gift? Truly you never look old enough to be quite so wise as you are." Tony all at once remembered that Loki must have learned his way with honeyed words from somewhere, though he seemed to have forgotten.

"Loki, your mother has borrowed your tongue. Remember I am of a different race, as such not even halfway through my natural life expectancy. I do not resent you your shock, but before this is through you will meet older than I. Darling your words are hurtful." Tony switched tones back and forth easily, like changing jackets, masks, or hats. His duality suited him to his lover. "Frigga, sweetling, you areas ever masterful of your words. But the time has passed for tea and gossip. Tomorrow the ambassadors of the nine realms will arrive, along with word from Mistress Death. We should all be well rested. I must also make sure my teammates have settled in, gotten the tour. Lovely, I promise not to go so long without us having tea-gossip again. Lover-Darling,  would you come with me?"

"Of course Anthony." They bid adieu to Frigga and walked toward the guest wing. "Anthony? Why do you talk like that? lover-darling, tea-gossip? why make them sound like connected words?"

"It's a bit complicated. In the language I learned in my youth, the one spoken by my native people, we had words for those things. These more abstract, multi-word concepts were one word. We had many words that are untranslatable. That manner of speaking tends to slip in when I am being informal. Does it bother you?"

"No, I was just curious. It seems like more of a sense-impression sort of thing. I like it." Tony and Loki stopped outside of the door for the set of rooms the Avengers were given. Tony lifted his hand to knock when the door swung open. Tony rapped Steve on the chest once. Steve blinked in surprise at being knocked on like the door he just opened. "I heard you coming," Steve explained at Tony's surprise. 

"Most people wait for the knock, even if they were peeking through the curtains." Tonys lips curling amusement. "Not that I don't enjoy feeling you up though, Cap."

Loki snickered. 

Tony continued as if he hadn't noticed Loki. "We came to see if you settled in well. Tomorrow the diplomats of the nine will arrive, with a messenger from Mistress Death."

Steve waved them into the main room of the apartments given to the Avengers. "We have settled in nicely. Thor led us on a tour of the grounds, then we came here. We were just about to sit down to a team dinner, not a meeting though. That can wait for morning. Come eat with us."

Tony, Loki, and Steve walked into the moderate, if opulent, dining room. The rest of the team was already seated, and food had been layed out. It was loud, and rowdy, like a family. Tony felt a home, even with the storm coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it for me tonight. It is 2 am for me. I hope to have more out very soon. Maybe tomorrow. As always, kudos, comment, and subscribe. Don't hate on my Oxford commas. Come yell at me, but not on tumblr yet, I won't get it until the 18th.  
> signing out,  
> Alex


	4. From the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me everyone laughed about the Steve thing.

In the morning, Tony and Loki walked to the Avengers apartments together. This time Steve waited until Tony had knocked to open the door, though it was obvious he was right there keeping from opening the door to early. He invited them inside, it was hold-your-breath, waiting-for-something, quiet. 

"The rest of the team is in the dining room again. We all need to have a meeting before meeting the diplomats today." Steve started walking towards the mentioned room.

"I spoke to my Mother. By her estimate, we have a few hours before our guests arrive."

The three of them step into the dining room and everyone looks at Tony. "So I suppose I get to explain myself now?" Tony sits with a flourish in one of the three chairs at the head of the table, Loki on his right and Steve on his left. 

"I will start at the beginning then. 

This cycle from Creation to Ragnarok is about eleven thousand years old. I was born in the wilds of newborn Alfheim, to parents that had been among the first to settle in that realm. No one knows how life came to be in each realm, those that remember don't talk about it. Life, Yggdrasil, had an avatar in those early years, and they were responsible for helping sentient life take hold. Mistress Death was resting from Ragnarok. 

I was an inventor in those days as well. But instead of metal and electricity, I crafted with magic. I traveled, and showed villages feats of magic, taught their children, and bartered magical goods to the townsfolk. As the years passed I gained a reputation, and was called on by the leaders of increasingly large territories. Soon village elders became lords, who in turn became kings. And these kings grew greedy. my wisdom was sought as they went to war.

Now, Death and Life are both necessary for balance, too much of one or the other will kill whole realms. The kings of Alfheim, and indeed other realms, went to war with increasing frequency, over petty slights, and just for fun.  When my advice was overlooked in favor of starting another war, I sought a way to return the realms.

So I sought Death. I Found her in a hidden place, on the very edge of a cliff overlooking the void. I pleaded for a way to restore balance. And so I became her Merchant. 

I went before the feuding kings, and backed by Death herself, I made my first deal. 

I never looked back"

The group gathered sat in silence for a full minute, coming to terms with what they had heard. Shock read plainly on each face.

Then, there was a knock on the door. Loki motioned with his hand, and the door opened to reveal a palace servant.

"The Queen bid me to tell all of you, the dignitaries have arrived."

**Author's Note:**

> comment, kudos, and subscribe! I hope you liked it so far!


End file.
